#1647876 - 05/15/09 11:49 PM
Door pods or kicks? Focal 165v1
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rex_runner
SD Ralph Wiggum
Registered: 05/01/08
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I like my focals... but have thought about getting new speakers because for some reason they just seem like they are missing something. They lack midbass for sure... but dont seem like I'm getting the full potential out of them. Power is fine, but just seem like they dont give me a very full sound...
Anyways, before I go out and spend another 300 bucks or so for new speakers I thought maybe making door pods for them or maybe kickpanels might help improve their sound. I have glassing experience so dont think itd be too difficult to do, but since Ive never done anything like that before I just have some questions? Are their any advantages/disadvantages to doorpods or kickpanels? How much airspace should I give them? These will be going in an 02 wrx, so should I mount the tweets close to the speaker? or keep them in their location in the door or raise them higher?? Idk... I guess I'm just a little stumped on how to go about it because I dont want to messup and waste materials. Any help and or suggestions would be great. Thanks.
Edited by rex_runner (05/15/09 11:52 PM)
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#1647891 - 05/16/09 06:45 AM
Re: Door pods or kicks? Focal 165v1
[Re: rex_runner]
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keep_hope_alive
in another life, i'm a serial killer
SD I Power Bombed the Undertaker
Registered: 04/24/07
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Loc: Quad Cities, IL
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pics of how they are installed now? where are they located now? are the doors already deadened and sealed up?
air space is always a concern - it affect response. i am putting mid bass drivers in my kicks, i cut away metal to help recess the magnet, and i will be venting them out of the car.
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#1648176 - 05/16/09 04:08 PM
Re: Door pods or kicks? Focal 165v1
[Re: keep_hope_alive]
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rex_runner
SD Ralph Wiggum
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They are mounted in the factory spot of my 02 wrx, and the doors are deadended.
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#1648280 - 05/16/09 11:26 PM
Re: Door pods or kicks? Focal 165v1
[Re: rex_runner]
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keep_hope_alive
in another life, i'm a serial killer
SD I Power Bombed the Undertaker
Registered: 04/24/07
Posts: 13370
Loc: Quad Cities, IL
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are the doors sealed?
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#1648445 - 05/17/09 12:06 PM
Re: Door pods or kicks? Focal 165v1
[Re: keep_hope_alive]
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rex_runner
SD Ralph Wiggum
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Are you asking if I covered the open gaps in the doors with sounddeadner? If thats what you mean then no, I left those open.
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#1648764 - 05/17/09 11:29 PM
Re: Door pods or kicks? Focal 165v1
[Re: rex_runner]
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keep_hope_alive
in another life, i'm a serial killer
SD I Power Bombed the Undertaker
Registered: 04/24/07
Posts: 13370
Loc: Quad Cities, IL
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leaving the holes open can allow the rear wave to cancel with the front wave - eliminating bass. it's like holding a speaker in the air and playing it - mids and highs but no bass.
before you go through any effort with FG - seal up the doors and see if that makes you happy. a more crude, but effective, method is to use weatherstripping foam to create a seal between the speaker gasket and the door panel. factory speakers are tightly sealed to the door panel, which is how they can create bass and midbass. if you build pods or go to the kicks you still need airspace. how much depends on the T/S parameters of the speaker.
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#1651024 - 05/21/09 11:07 PM
Re: Door pods or kicks? Focal 165v1
[Re: keep_hope_alive]
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rex_runner
SD Ralph Wiggum
Registered: 05/01/08
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Today I was messing around with some 6.5in sonotube... made little mock pods with end caps. Kind of ghetto in a way, but gave me a good idea how the speakers would sound with sealed airpsace. I was thinking about just sealing up the door like you had recomended, but thought I'd try this first to see If Id like them in pods. Sound was much better than just having them in my doors. Speakers had more of a full sound... alot tighter punch and louder as well. I still could use more midbass, but I may just upgrade my mid to like a focal k2 later.
I already have lots of glassing material, so I'm going to attempt some door pods. What I'm thinking is filling in the space between my armrest and my door panel pouch, flowing the natural lines of the door.
Is it going to make a difference if the speaker is mounted right about where it is in the picture vs the stock location at the bottom right? And how can I calculate how much airspace to give the speaker?
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#1652372 - 05/25/09 05:06 PM
Re: Door pods or kicks? Focal 165v1
[Re: rex_runner]
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keep_hope_alive
in another life, i'm a serial killer
SD I Power Bombed the Undertaker
Registered: 04/24/07
Posts: 13370
Loc: Quad Cities, IL
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obviously, that location is far from ideal. the closer to you, the more the difference in path length. but that doesn't mean it can't have good sound, you may just have poor imaging. processing may be able to help some, but it will be a one-seat vehicle.
might well build it and see. your method means you don't have to modify the factory panel. an ideal method would be to locate the mid in the lower corner.
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#1655603 - 05/31/09 09:46 AM
Re: Door pods or kicks? Focal 165v1
[Re: keep_hope_alive]
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deaf tones
:mod in training:
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if you're going to transform that entire door panel, do yourself a favor and just cut it from the arm rest down. keep only the parts that you're going to use/snap into the door. make the rest from scratch. if you don't, you'll spend more time trying to salvage the door panel that you have than it would take to make a new one.
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#1656009 - 06/01/09 09:52 AM
Re: Door pods or kicks? Focal 165v1
[Re: deaf tones]
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Foam
Team SoundDomain
Registered: 06/09/08
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Look up the price of a new door panel before you do that. I'm willing to be that door panel cost more than the speaker set. So if you screw it up, or you decide to get rid of the car--look at the damage you are doing.
Focal is going to need a free-air set up. As much as air as you can get behind the speaker--they like LOTS of air. To little air and you will have the frequency response of EKG of a heart attack patient.
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